Dear John,

Talks continue – just.

Negotiations teeter on a knife edge, after a weekend of more deadlocks.

This is a cross-road for British diplomacy, and the recovery of the UK economy.

Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen agreed to further talks last night. There are some reports of breakthroughs on fishing, as Gove heads to Brussels to discuss Northern Ireland.

But the return of the Internal Market Bill to the House of Commons today has added urgency and tension to an already urgent and tense situation.

The government has vowed to re-table the most dangerous clauses of the Internal Market Bill. They allow for the Withdrawal Agreement to be unilaterally overturned, and would necessitate an evident border on the island of Ireland in a no deal scenario.

Send a message to your MP, and call on them to vote for any amendments which will limit the impacts of the Internal Market Bill, and help facilitate a trade deal with the EU. Send your message before the vote this afternoon.

The Internal Market Bill is due to be ping-ponged back to the House of Lords tomorrow, where the offending clauses were originally removed.

RTE is reporting the government may drop the most controversial clauses of the Internal Market Bill. But only if a free trade agreement is reached in the next few days.

But as of now, the Internal Market Bill represents a major obstacle to amicable negotiations.

The thin and insubstantial deal the government is pursuing will barely cover tariff-free trading. But any deal, especially a deal which we can build upon, is better than a no deal exit.

Urge your MP to help reach this last-minute deal, and do everything in the Commons to soften the diplomatic impact of this Bill. Send the message before today’s vote.

Negotiations hang in the balance. It’s hard to say what will happen. But one thing is for sure – the Internal Market Bill will have huge ramifications for the UK’s standing in the world.

Even if a last-minute agreement is found, the UK’s reckless negotiating tactics, and disregard for international law, will not be forgotten.

Best wishes,

Naomi Smith, 
CEO, Best for Britain